Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’: Never mix wine with EMOTIONS!

Lastnight I watched Hemingway‘s (1957 film version) of The Sun Also Rises (originally titled Fiesta) with Ava Garner, Errol Flynn, and Tyrone Power. And while I have already addressed the literary merit of this work in Conchita’s Open Book Blog…I wanted to take a little different slant here.

To take a brilliant work such as this and boil it down to a few sentences doesn’t seem fair, but as the point of this entry isn’t the plot itself, my self-edited summary will have to suffice…

On the surface this is a story about three men in love with one, very charismatic fun-loving bombshell (played by Gardner). Taking place in the 20′s, following the war it is a time of great sexual-expression, particularly for women which we witness, played-out between the main characters. An additional evocative caveat to the story; each of the three men have been rendered impotent either physically or emotionally….essentially placing each at the cruel mercy of this freewheeling and extremely sensual woman.

The plot painfully details the increasingly destructive emotional tension between unexpressed sexual desire and rampant seemingly random sexual freedom….further complicated by what would socially be considered a turn-of-the-tables, e.g. the woman as sexual provocateur. The common thread for all involved parties being: EMOTIONS…strong, raw, and explosive…

Emotions rule these characters’ behavior…fueled by a steady stream of alcohol…they bounce through Europe trying desperately to conquer one another. Passion…fist fights…and life-threatening bull-fights ensue. The story is a tragedy really, a magnified attempt to relate the destructive capacity of our own emotions…and a magnificent study of the darker-side of the human heart.

I have a favorite line…where two of the characters are about to toast and another, The Count (a minor character)…who has viewed this emotional-showdown as a spectator, suggests against a toast insisting that:

This wine is too good for toast-drinking, my dear. You don’t want to mix emotions up with a wine like that. You lose the taste. (Chapter 7, pg. 59)

It is a concise and succinct warning:

BE CAREFUL THAT THE VERY DESIRE THAT INSPIRED, DOES NOT DESTROY!

And yet it cannot be helped can it? It is inevitable…when we allow our desire to develop, unchecked…when we desire what cannot be…we set ourselves and those we love up for destruction. I had a friend say to me once:

You have to understand, if you ‘go hard’…you will always fall hard!

It is simple deductive common-sense and yet…we all do it…at one time or another in our lives: we desire the unattainable…we reach for destruction…knowingly…and…we get burned…we suffer…I suppose the bright-side being that…in life…we also have the capacity to LEARN…grow…evolve…even develop through these necessary experiences…and while acceptance isn’t always easy…I have found that it is necessary for happiness, peace…and to the full enjoyment of…a good glass of wine.

Salute to Hemingway!

Just pondering along tonight I guess…see you tomorrow, xxx c.

I Welcome September: As The Sun Fades…My Skin Yearns For NEW INK!

To quote a favorite poet of mine:

THE TIME HAS COME.

THE TIME IS NOW.

-The Cat In The Hat

September is here! And as the sun sinks behind the clouds, my skin craves to be touched…to be covered with beauty. For many, that would mean gorgeous cashmere sweaters and rich furs…for me…it means:

NEW INK!

Presently, my larger pieces reflect transitional spaces in my life: loss, death, rebirth. They are a testament to survival…and a celebration of the endless cycle of life, and death. They draw from iconic religious symbols, like the lotus…and cultural ones, like the sugar skull. My desire is to fill my entire back…in such a manner…reflecting my emotional states…my growth and struggles.

I have always loved tattoos and have written about them here…admired them daily on others…I love the idea of decorating the body…of making feelings, real works of art…upon the body. Tattoos are phenomenal, and the tattoo artists even more so (Deep Bow of Gratitude to El-E Maggs MY artist)

As I move into a new stage in life…this year taking time away from my clinical work…focusing on events my more creative and erotic pursuits…I find that I am in a different space than before. I am…still searching…but I am calmer…more settled in my loss…accepting of my grief…and embracing my rebirth (even if I haven’t fully realized it, as yet).

So what does this new space look like?

It’s…positive…a little giddy…silly. It embraces chance…it takes risks…This space is full of compassion and acceptance. This NEW SPACE needs…a MANEKI NEKO!

What is a Maneki Neko well let’s visit Wikipedia and see what they have to say:

The Maneki Neko (literally “Beckoning Cat“; also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money cat, or Fortune Cat. Sometimes incorrectly labelled Chinese Lucky Cat) is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat(traditionally a Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. Some of the sculptures are electric or battery-powered and have a slow-moving paw beckoning. In the design of the sculptures, a raised right paw supposedly attracts money, while a raised left paw attracts customers.

A frequent attribution to several Japanese emperors, as well as to Oda Nobunaga and samurai Ii Naotaka, is that one day the luminary passed by a cat, which seemed to wave to him. Taking the cat’s motion as a sign, the unknown nobleman paused and went to it. Diverted from his journey, he realized that he had avoided a trap that had been laid for him just ahead. Since that time, cats have been considered wise and lucky spirits. Many Japanese shrines and homes include the figurine of a cat with one paw upraised as if waving—hence the origin of Maneki Neko, often referred to as Kami Neko in reference to the cat’s kami or spirit.

And the mythical origin of this little cat? Well…it is simply too good to be true:

A courtesan named Usugumo, living in Yoshiwara, in eastern Tokyo, kept a cat, much beloved by her. One night, the cat began tugging at her kimono. No matter what she did, the cat persisted. The owner of the brothel saw this, and believing the cat bewitched, cut its head off. The cat’s head then flew to the ceiling where it killed a snake, ready at any moment to strike. Usugumo was devastated by the death of her companion. To cheer her up, one of her customers made her a wooden likeness of her cat as a gift. This cat image then became popular as the Maneki Neko.

Perhaps…I am searching for a companion to accompany me on this new path…maybe I am wishing for “luck” to guide me through unknown waters?

I am not totally aware of my unconscious wishes, only that the Maneki Neko is a symbol of good will…of positivity…and wisdom…qualities that I trust will guide me…beyond luck!

xxx c